Short answer on how ATAR is calculated: your subject results are scaled, your top scaled results are added into an aggregate, and that aggregate is turned into a rank against other students. In the five systems compared here, the three steps are the same. What adds up in step two differs.
This guide compares those rules for NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia, using each admissions centre's own page. For the scaling step in NSW alone, read HSC scaling explained.
What the number means
UAC calls the ATAR a rank, not a mark. It runs from 0.00 to 99.95 in steps of 0.05. An ATAR of 80.00 puts you in the top 20% of your age group, which is wider than your Year 12 class. In NSW that group is all 16 to 20-year-olds. So an ATAR of 80.00 is not 80%, and VTAC notes that 100 is not possible, because the ATAR measures the share of an age group you outperformed.
UAC says an ATAR from NSW or the ACT is equivalent to the same number from another state.
What adds up in the five systems
| State | Worked out from | English rule | 2026 results |
|---|---|---|---|
| NSW (UAC) | Scaled marks in 10 units | Top 2 units of English must count | 9am, 16 December 2026 (NSW and ACT) |
| Victoria (VTAC) | Primary four, plus up to two increments | Highest English-group score must count | 7am, Thursday 10 December 2026 |
| Queensland (QTAC) | Top five scaled results | At least a C needed, counted only if in the top five | 18 December 2026 |
| WA (TISC) | Top four scaled scores, plus bonuses | No English rule on TISC's page | From late December |
| SA and NT (SATAC) | Aggregate out of 90 | No English rule on SATAC's page | Conversion table due December 2026 |
GradeCat has not read the calculation pages for Tasmania or the ACT, so they are left out. UAC says the ACT's details come from the ACT Board of Senior Secondary Studies.
NSW: 10 units
The UAC rule is an aggregate of scaled marks in 10 units: the top 2 units of English plus the top 8 other units. You also need to complete at least four subject areas. The Technical Committee on Scaling works out the NSW ATAR for the NSW Vice-Chancellors' Committee.
Made-up example. A student takes six 2 unit courses: English Standard, Mathematics Advanced, Biology, Chemistry, Modern History and Business Studies. That is 6 × 2 = 12 units. English fills 2, and 10 other units remain. Only 8 of those count, so 2 units are left out. Which ones depends on scaled marks that students never see. UAC adds that for most courses the scaled mark is lower than the HSC mark.
Victoria: the primary four and increments
VTAC scales your study scores, then adds your highest eligible score from the English group and your next three highest scores. Those are the primary four. Up to two increments can follow, such as 10% of a fifth or sixth scaled score. You need at least four study scores in an acceptable combination.
Made-up example, using scaled scores. English 34, Methods 40, Chemistry 37 and Legal Studies 31 make a primary four of 34 + 40 + 37 + 31 = 142. A fifth score of 30 adds 3.0, and a sixth score of 26 adds 2.6. The aggregate is 142 + 3.0 + 2.6 = 147.6. VTAC then ranks all aggregates, and only that ranking gives an ATAR.
Queensland: the top five
QTAC scales Units 3 and 4 results and adds your top five. Those five must be five General subjects, four General subjects and one Applied subject, or four General subjects and one completed VET qualification at Certificate III or higher. Students are then placed in 2,000 bands.
You need at least a C in an English subject, but that is a condition, not a place in the five. Made-up example. A student gets a C in English, and it is their sixth-highest scaled result. They meet the English rule, and English is not in their top five, so it adds nothing to the aggregate.
Western Australia: four scores and bonuses
TISC uses a Tertiary Entrance Aggregate, or TEA. It is your top four scaled scores, plus 10% of Mathematics Methods, 10% of Mathematics Specialist and 10% of your top Language Other Than English score. Those bonuses are added even if the courses are outside your top four. The maximum TEA is 430.
Made-up example, using scaled scores. Physics 70, Methods 66, Chemistry 64 and English 61 add to 261. Specialist at 58 is outside the top four but still earns a bonus. The bonuses are 6.6 and 5.8, so the TEA is 261 + 6.6 + 5.8 = 273.4. In TISC's 2025 table, 269.6 was the lowest TEA for 90.00 and 273.9 for 91.00, so 273.4 would have sat between them that year. A 2025 table cannot tell you a 2026 ATAR.
South Australia and the NT: 90 credits
SATAC builds an aggregate out of 90 from your top three 20-credit Tertiary Admissions Subjects (60 credits) and your top flexible option (30 credits). It ranks each aggregate, then adjusts that rank for the participation rate, using Australian Bureau of Statistics data. The conversion changes each year.
Why you cannot work it out before results
- UAC says scaled marks are not reported to students, and they are worked out in the year the course is completed.
- The aggregate is only half the job. The rank depends on how everyone else did that year.
- SATAC says past tables cannot reliably predict a future ATAR, and it does not recommend online prediction tools.
For an estimate, UAC's ATAR Compass uses five years of NSW scaling data, and QTAC's ATAR Navigator also gives an estimate. Both say they are estimates. GradeCat has no ATAR calculator for this reason.
How ATAR is calculated FAQ
Is an ATAR a percentage?
No. It is a rank. An ATAR of 80.00 means the top 20% of your age group, not a mark of 80%.
Is the ATAR calculated the same way in NSW, Victoria, Queensland, WA and SA?
In those five systems the steps are the same, but the inputs differ: 10 units in NSW, the primary four in Victoria, the top five in Queensland, the top four plus bonuses in WA, and an aggregate out of 90 in SA and the NT.
Does English have to count towards my ATAR?
In NSW and Victoria, yes. In Queensland you need at least a C, and English counts only if it is one of your top five scaled results.
Can I get an ATAR of 100?
No. The highest ATAR is 99.95.
When are 2026 ATARs released?
VTAC gives 7am on 10 December 2026, QTAC gives 18 December 2026, TISC says from late December, and UAC lists 9am on 16 December 2026 for NSW and the ACT.
Related tools and guides
- HSC scaling explained: why NSW marks are scaled and which marks scaling uses.
- HSC Mark and Band Calculator: your HSC mark and band from the exam and assessment marks.
- All tools for Australia
- GradeCat home: grade and GPA tools for other countries.
Sources
- UAC: How your ATAR is calculated (opened 4 November 2026)
- UAC: ATAR - Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (UAC) (opened 4 November 2026)
- UAC: ATAR Compass (opened 4 November 2026)
- VTAC: Results and the ATAR (opened 4 November 2026)
- QTAC: ATAR (QTAC) (opened 4 November 2026)
- QTAC: QTAC ATAR Navigator (opened 4 November 2026)
- TISC: Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (opened 4 November 2026)
- SATAC: ATAR Explained (opened 4 November 2026)
- Key dates (UAC)
An aggregate worked out here is an estimate, not an official result. Your state's admissions centre comes first. Found a mistake? Tell us.